Being Assessed as Foster Carers

Hello Everyone;

It's been a while since I've last posted. It's been a very busy few months for all 3 of us. Grasiey has just started year 11 and she is studying her GCSE's and doing her best which is all Mason and Myself can ask of her. We have regular contact with her school and have meeting to see what we can do and what they can do to help her with her studies.

Mason and I have both started new jobs, we are both loving it which is really great! We are both working with people with Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviour. We are struggling with the fact that we barely get a day off together, it makes it hard to be able spend time together, but whenever we see each other we always spend it together, or there is always all 3 of us.

Over the past 3 Months Myself and Mason have started the process of being assessed as Grasiey's Foster Carers. We have had to give so much personal information about our pasts and about our past relationships. We have also had to give personal references from people i.e.; family members, friends, colleagues we have worked with and colleagues we currently work with. This is for them to give information on the pair of us. This is also for them to share any information on our situation that they may know, and that they can share with the our Foster Team.

This gives the Foster Team input of how we are dealing with Grasiey living with us, gives them insight on how we are coping mentally with the responsibility of caring for Grasiey. And how are are dealing with Grasiey living with us and working full time.

Grasiey has had to attend some of the meeting that we have to have this is so she can give her input and her feelings towards the whole situation. We have had to have PEP meetings which are for her school/ education. This gives us an insight of how she is doing in school. This includes input from her teachers, it also includes the Fostering Team and her Social Worker. This gives us insight of her mental state in school and her attitude in her classrooms,

We had a Child In Need meeting Friday 22nd and it went really well, I had to explain to the Team that she is attending all of her dentist appointments as she has braces, she hasn't needed a doctor appointment as of yet (fingers crossed she wont need one). This is also for the Team to keep a log of how we are getting on mentally and physically for all 3 of us.

The Fostering Team have had trouble getting in contact with some of the references that we have supplied. This has caused issues with the whole thing but we have appealed for an extension on the process. We have until the beginning of December to gather all of the information we need for the whole process. The Panel Meeting terrifies me I'm not going to lie, I have no idea what to expect from the whole thing. The good outcome would be that we are granted to be Grasieys full time Foster Carers, which would mean that we don't have the worry of if she is going to stay with us. I know Grasiey worries about it at times because she panics about if she is going to be staying with us. We always tell her that no matter what happens we will always support her.

Thinking back to 2 years ago both me and Mason have said that we would have never thought that we would be in this situation but we wouldn't change it for the world. We have become our own little family.

Keep safe everyone